SpuriousLogic writes: The US Supreme Court won't start hearing arguments over California's law banning game sales to minors until November 2. However, the ruling in the court of popular opinion is already in, according to a new poll.

This week, parent watchdog group Common Sense Media released the results of a survey it commissioned on children's access to violent games. Conducted by polling firm Zogby International, the survey asked 2,100 adults whether they would support a law that "prohibits minors from purchasing ultraviolent or sexually violent video games without parental consent." Of those surveyed, some 72 percent said they would approve such a law.

Common Sense Media CEO and founder James Steyer, whose nonprofit organization is lobbying for game-restriction legislation in many states, hailed the poll's findings. "We hope the [state] attorneys general will take a look at these poll results and that they'll side with families over protecting the profits of the video game industry."

Zogby also asked those parents that were polled some more general questions about violent video games and their children. Some 65 percent said they were "concerned about the impact of ultraviolent video games on their kids." A full 75 percent of parents would give the game industry as a whole a "negative rating when it comes to how they protect kids from violent video games." Over half of both adults and parents would rate the industry's efforts as "poorly" in the latter matter.

"prohibits minors from purchasing ultraviolent or sexually violent video games without parental consent."

Wait wait wait, "... and sexually violent" ? This is like asking people if they support protecting minors from smoking tobacco, smokeless tobacco, and infant tobacco formula. I meant to use the word protecting there, because if you can't say something like "protecting minors from pornography" with a straight face, it's a lie.

The industry is self regulating just fine, there isn't a sexually violent video game epidemic, no evidence there ever will be, and if there was, what the hell is wrong with the parent